- Government clarifies that Indian Immigration had no role in stopping Nepali citizen Ms. Shambhavi Adhikari at Delhi Airport.
- The passenger was denied boarding by Qatar Airways over visa validity issues.
- She was later flown back to Kathmandu and travelled to Germany through another route.
- India reaffirms its friendly ties with Nepal and rejects claims of discrimination.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 1st Nov: The Government of India has clarified that Indian Immigration authorities had no involvement in the recent incident involving Ms. Shambhavi Adhikari, a Nepali citizen who was reportedly stopped at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) while transiting to Berlin.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the government said the reports portraying the incident as bias or discrimination against Nepali citizens were misleading and incorrect.
According to the clarification, Ms. Adhikari arrived in Delhi from Kathmandu via Air India and was transiting through the capital to board a Qatar Airways flight to Germany. “She was stopped while boarding the connecting flight… It was the airline which decided not to let her undertake her onward travel to Germany considering her visa validity and flew her back to Kathmandu,” the statement read.
The government explained that such decisions are taken by airlines in line with destination country rules and requirements, not by Indian immigration officials. “International transit passengers are not required to approach Indian Immigration for their onward journey,” the statement added.
Ms. Adhikari later rescheduled her travel and successfully flew to Berlin through another route from Kathmandu.
Reiterating India’s close ties with its neighbour, the statement concluded, “India values its strong relationship with Nepal and reassures that no Indian authority has any bias or discrimination against citizens of Nepal.”
